This traditional German Schnitzel recipe, known as Schweineschnitzel, is just the way you know and love it from your favorite German restaurants! Made the way I learned it from my Mutti and Oma, this tutorial includes all the tips and tricks are included for making the absolute PERFECT Schnitzel!
Be sure to also try our Jägerschnitzel smothered in mushroom gravy!
Being from Germany and as much as I love to cook, it would be unforgivably inexcusable, a total outrage, if I didn’t know how to make Schnitzel! After all, it’s one of the most quintessential German dishes. Practically every tourist to Germany has had Schnitzel and most fall in love with it.
Schnitzel vs. Wienerschnitzel: What’s the Difference?
Many people associate Schnitzel with Wienerschnitzel. However, “Wienerschnitzel” is actually a geographically protected term in Germany and Austria and can only be made with veal. German Schnitzel is prepared the same way as Austrian Wienerschnitzel, but the difference is that German Schnitzel, known as Schweineschnitzel, is made with pork instead of veal. As for where the Schnitzel originally came from…the technique of breading and frying thin cuts of meat is attributed to the Romans from around 1 BC. Another factual tidbit: Austrians will be the first to admit that Wienerschnitzel doesn’t come from Wien (Vienna).
But whether it’s Schweineschnitzel or Wienerschnitzel, when it’s perfectly breaded, perfectly fried, and perfectly crispy, practically everyone loves a good Schnitzel! And now you can make it – perfectly – in your own kitchen!
Variations
The most popular variations of Schnitzel are Jägerschnitzel (“hunter schnitzel” served with mushroom gravy), Zigeunerschnitzel (“gypsy schnitzel”, served with a zesty bell pepper sauce), and Rahmschnitzel (“cream schnitzel” served with a rich cream sauce). All three are commonly found in German restaurants and are all positively delicious.
What to Serve with Schnitzel
In Germany, Schnitzel is most commonly served with any of the following:
- French fries
- Spätzle and gravy
- German Potato Salad
- A leafy green salad
Additional serving options include mashed or roasted potatoes, Sauerkraut, German Red Cabbage, and roasted or steamed veggies.
Non-German sides that pair well with Schnitzel include:
Whichever sides you serve it with, it is commonly garnished with a slice or two of lemon and a sprig of parsley.
Schnitzel Recipe
Let’s get started!
Throughout the pictured recipe steps below, I’m going to share some tips and tricks with you that are important for achieving perfect results – just like the kind you get at a German restaurant.
Expert tip 1: Pound the meat very thin, no more than 1/4 inch thick. The reason this is important is because you’ll need to fry it at high heat for a short period of time to get that perfect crispy crust without leaving the middle of the meat raw.
The easiest way to pound the pork is to lay it between two pieces of plastic wrap. Be sure to pound them using the flat side of a meat mallet. Lightly sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Dip the pork into the flour, coating all sides.
Next dip the pork into the egg mixture, coating all sides.
Then coat the pork with the breadcrumbs.
Expert tip 2: Don’t press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Just softly coat the pork on both sides and all edges, and then gently shake off any excess.
Expert tip 3: Fry the Schnitzel immediately. Don’t let them sit in coating or the end result won’t be as crispy. You don’t need a ton of oil, but you need enough so that the Schnitzel can “swim”.
Expert tip 4: Make sure the oil is hot enough – but not too hot. It should be around 330ºF – test it with a candy thermometer. If it’s too hot, the crust will burn before the meat is done. If it isn’t hot enough, you’ll end up with a soggy coating. When the oil is hot enough it will actually penetrate the coating less and you’ll end up with a crispy “dry” coating instead of an overly oily one. The result will be a beautifully crispy coating with a tender and juicy interior, and that’s exactly what we want.
Remove the Schnitzel from the fry pan and place them briefly on a plate lined with paper towels. Transfer them to serving plates and garnish with slices of lemon and fresh parsley sprigs.
Serve immediately with French fries, Spätzle, or German potato salad and a fresh leafy green salad. See blog post above for more serving recommendations.
Enjoy!
For more authentic German recipes be sure to try our:
- Sauerbraten
- Rouladen
- Spaetzle
- Currywurst
- Käsespätzle
- German Potato Salad
- Kartoffelpuffer
- Senfbraten
- Jägerschnitzel
- Maultaschen
- German Potato Soup
- Frikadellen
- Creamy German Cucumber Salad
- German Sauerkraut Soup
German Schnitzel (Schweineschnitzel)
Ingredients
- 4 boneless pork steaks or chops, (to make Austrian Wienerschnitzel use thin veal cutlets)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour combined with 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- Oil for frying (use a neutral-tasting oil with a high smoke point)
Instructions
- Place the pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound them until just 1/4 inch thick with the flat side of a meat tenderizer. Lightly season both sides with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Place the flour mixture, egg, and breadcrumbs in 3 separate shallow bowls. Dip the chops in the flour, the egg, and the breadcrumbs, coating both sides and all edges at each stage. Be careful not to press the breadcrumbs into the meat. Gently shake off the excess crumbs. Don't let the schnitzel sit in the coating or they will not be as crispy once fried - fry immediately.Make sure the cooking oil is hot enough at this point (about 330 degrees F) as you don't want the Schnitzel to sit around in the coating before frying. Use enough oil so that the Schnitzels "swim" in it.Fry the Schnitzel for about 2-3 minutes on both sides until a deep golden brown. Transfer briefly to a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve immediately with slices of fresh lemon and parsley sprigs. Serve with French fries, Spätzle or German potato salad, and a fresh leafy green salad.
Video
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet March 12, 2014
Lori V says
I’d like to make this recipe for pretzel roll sandwiches for a gathering of up to 150 people. How can I best make the schnitzel ahead of time?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s tricky, Lori, because the only way to get crispy Schnitzel without the breading being soft is to fry it just before serving. Schnitzel just isn’t ideal for making ahead of time. The only thing I can think of is putting the pre-cooked Schnitzel in a hot oven for a few minutes just to crisp up the coating a little before placing them on the rolls. I’d recommend doing a trial run with one Schnitzel though and see how well that works.
chezloriv says
Thanks! I did try a trial run and it worked great!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful! Good luck with all those Schnitzel Pretzel Rolls – you’ve got your work cut out for you! But I’ve no doubt they’ll be thoroughly enjoyed by everyone present :)
SKW says
This turned out really well, delicious and tender.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad to hear it, thank you!
SueT says
Mom is from Austria and taught us to make Schnitzel at a very young age. Yum Yum!
However, Mom moved back to Austria never sharing the recipe for some kind of dumpling she used to make….it was dough on the outside and fruit on the inside served with a sweet buttered breadcrumb. Any ideas of what they are called and how to make them?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sue, a couple of things come to mind: German Dampfnudeln (yeast dough balls filled with fruit preserves and often served with vanilla custard, drizzled with browned butter and sprinkled with breadcrumbs) and Szilvas Gomboc (Hungarian plum dumplings with a potato-based dough, filled with plums and rolled in breadcrumbs). Do either of those sound like it?
Andrea says
Kimberly you are good in trying to rewrite history, hmm? Wiener Schnitzel is from Austria and not Germany and also not from Roman times. The technique might be from there, but the combination out of meat (yes veal), the size and the way of making the panade was mentioned first time 1831 in a cookbook and there already mentioned as Wiener Schnitzel. Also historians believe it was developed out of another dish, chicken with a panade (Backhendel) which was popular already at this time in Vienna.
The popular story saying it originally comes from Milan, brought by Radetsky to the Kaiser after a battle sounds good but is simply wrong – as stated above it was mentioned in a cook book already about 20 years before (with the name Wiener Schnitzel).
Austrian cuisine is influenced a lot by neighbours – like the type of pancakes called Palatschinken or the popular meat dish Gulasch, both coming from roman times and Hungary (well I believe you know there was an Austrian-Hungarian monarchy long time ago). But as you see easily in the words, Austrians always took over the original names just slightly adopted (Gulasch, Goulash,…). There is no example to find from these times where Austrians renamed a dish. This is according to historians the strongest argument for Wiener Schnitzel beeing really Viennese and not importet although maybe influenced (as every recipe in the world builds upon existing knowledge).
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Andrea, you are correct and have said what I’ve already stated in my post: Wiener Schnitzel (as the name Wien connotes) is Austrian. This isn’t Wiener Schnitzel. It’s Schweineschnitzel. As I mentioned in my post, Wiener Schnitzel is strictly made with veal, that’s what sets it apart. In Germany Schnitzel is primarily made with pork. And yes, the technique, as I also point out in my post, dates back to Roman times. I’m not sure what the disagreement is here.
Kim Beaulieu says
My daughter’s best friend is German, he’s coming by for a visit soon. I think this is the perfect thing to whip up while he’s here. It looks amazing.
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Looks wonderful! So crispy and I’m sure tender on the inside! I haven’t had spatzle in a long time, and now I’m craving it :)
Adriana Lopez-Martin says
This is one of my favorite german dishes thanks for sharing the recipe now I can make it at home =)
Jill Silverman Hough says
Seeing your post’s title made me think of spatzle, which I’ve made only a few times but adore, so I was excited to see that you included mention of it here. It’s so simple and easy and makes such a nice change of pace from noodles or rice as a starchy side. (Sorry for going on about spatzle in your post about schnitzel–but I got inspired to make some!)
marcel says
wtf this is austrian schnitzel (wiener schnitzel) not german!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Marcel, did you read the post? Traditional Austrian Schnitzel is made with veal. German Schnitzel is traditionally made with pork. And technically neither can claim Schnitzel as “theirs”.
Kirsten says
I just made this tonight (with chicken) and it was fantastic. There is a great restaurant next door that serves German style food, but I wanted to save some cash and give it a whirl myself (my mom made it regularly growing up, so I knew it wasn’t too difficult to handle from watching her do it). Turned out perfectly (even though I didn’t have a meat tenderizer – I used a can of beans to smash the meat thin, lol)! Also made your hunter’s sauce to go with it, which was awesome. I had to make a couple changes for dietary restrictions (husband can’t have dairy so I used 3.8% goat’s milk and margarine), and also forgot to pick up beef boullion cubes at the store so I added some Worcestershire sauce instead and was still really tasty. I’ll have to do the proper boullion version next time :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s terrific, Kirsten, I’m so glad to hear that both the Schnitzel and Hunter’s Sauce were a hit, yipee! Brilliant way to get around the meat tenderizer, too :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Laura says
My dad’s mother, my mother, and myself have always used thin beef steaks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Laura, that sounds like Beef Milanese and yes, it’s delicious!
Anonymous says
It is Beef Milanese even if it is coated with the same ingredients?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Beef Milanese is basically the same thing only it’s made with beef – thin beef cutlets are salted, dipped in egg, sometimes flour, breadcrumbs and then shallow fried.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Judy, I’m equally glad you found us! :) Welcome! Yes, that’s how I make my gravy as well. And if I’m making a Jägersoße for the Schnitzel I’ll add mushrooms. Looking forward to “seeing” you around!
Katie says
I have made this for years and it is an all time favorite! anyone who I have made it for loves it. I do have a suggestion though… try using soda crackers for a breading. I put the crackers into the food processor and grind them up. I tend to leave the crumbs a little “lumpy” if that makes sense. Makes beautiful Schnitzel.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Katie, thanks for the info on how you make Schnitzel! I’ve always been a huge fan, too. Ever since I was a kid my favorite dishes to order in restaurants in Germany were Schnitzel, Spätzle and another Swabian dish called Maultaschen.
Frank Atwood says
My Mom, (yes she’s German, born and raised) makes the best schnitzel I’ve ever eaten. I can confirm that this recipe is authentic. The only difference, which I find to be a huge one, is my mom uses pork tenderloin and mashes it with a meat tederizer that has teeth, almost shredding it. She has made them with chops as well, and although delicious, it’s just not the same to me.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Frank, thanks for your insights. This recipe (as with any Schnitzel recipe) calls for pounding the pork. There’s nothing wrong at all with using tenderloin but paying the extra $$ for a more expensive cut is really unnecessary when you’re pounding it anyway to tenderize it. Using a standard pork chop and pounding it thin will yield a perfectly tender Schnitzel. Still, I can appreciate making things the way you’re used to them, so by all means continue making it the way you know and love it best.
Anonymous says
looks good
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you!